Preview

The Pledge

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
809 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Pledge
The Pledge of Allegiance
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." (US history), is how we have been saying the pledge since 1954, so why is it that after fifty years we find a dilemma with the phrase "under God." We have always and always will say the pledge to the United States of America, not to God. Students have never minded saying that phrase, and no one is being forced to say it.
Ever since 1892, the people of America have been saying the pledge to the United States. Since then to the present the pledge has never said "one nation under Jesus Christ" or "Buddha" or "Allah". (Students Opinion on the Pledge of Allegiance) The lower court had even said "the ceremonial reference to God in the pledge does not convey endorsement of particular religious beliefs"(Lawmakers Blast Pledge Ruling). Meaning we have said the pledge for so long for the reason of pride, showing our loyalty to the United States not to any specific super being. The two little words "under God" do not change the pledge into a prayer when said in the public. The phrase is not binding any person to a single god, just our loyalty of the nation we reside in.
The majority of the people that say the pledge on a daily basis are students. Most students do not seem to be bothered by the phrase in the pledge. They have been saying it ever since elementary school and no student has every thought to question it or even say that it was in any way being religious. When we stand every morning to say the pledge we do not think of it as separating us by religion, but that it unifies us as a classroom, as a school, as a state, and as a nation.
The government has not written anywhere in the constitution or any other major document that the residents of America are to say the pledge. "According to current U.S. custom, as codified by the United States Congress, persons



Cited: "Lawmakers blast Pledge ruling."CNN. 26 June 2002. CNN. 12 Dec. 2005 "Student Opinions on the pledge of allegiance." About. 23 May 2004. About. 7 Dec. 2005 "The pledge of allegiance." US History. Documents of Freedom. 28 Jan. 2005 "Pledge of Allegiance." Wikipedia. 19 Jan 2006 The Free Encyclopedia. 19 Jan 2006.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In 1954, Congress amended Title 36 of the United States Code by adding “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. California Education Code section 52720 requires appropriate patriotic exercises to be practiced in every public elementary school every day. Elk Grove Unified School District’s policy required the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance every day pursuant to section 52720 of the California Education Code. Michael A. Newdow’s daughter attended a public school in the Elk Grove Unified School District in California. Each day, teachers at the school led the students in a voluntary recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, which included the words “under God.” Newdow, being an atheist and divorced with “shared physical custody” of his daughter, challenged the constitutionality of Elk Grove Unified School District’s requirement that teachers lead their classes in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Newdow filed suit in federal district court in California claiming that Elk Grove’s recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance violated the 1st Amendment Establishment Clause to the Constitution due to the words “under God” being included and thus, his daughter was being subjected to religious indoctrination. The district court dismissed Newdow’s claim on the ground that he lacked legal standing because he was divorced from Sandra Banning, the mother of his daughter, and that he did not have legal custody of his daughter. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the lower court’s ruling, deciding that Newdow did have holding as a parent to sue and that the school district’s policy violated the establishment clause. The school district appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which granted review.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I found this interesting because I have two students in my classroom that do not say the pledge. The first boy is Muslim and it is against his religion. I am not sure why the second boy does not say the pledge, but they both stand when the rest of the class says it and they are very respectful.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    -one nation under God; description of the republic of which we are in which is what the flag stands for; Thomas Jefferson articulated in independence: all men created equal that are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; God gave us our rights not government; our country was established to secure those God given rights; saying one nation under God is fundamental to our liberties; Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg address dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal; we are in a great civil war testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived; nation under God shall have new birth from freedom that government of the people; Martin Luther King Jr.; Have a Dream; promisary note hold truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal;…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The Pledge of Allegiance, written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy has undergone quite an evolution. It was made mandatory in schools by the US Supreme Court in 1940 but was withdrawn three years later, was congressionally recognized as national pledge in 1942 and was further augmented with words “under god” in 1954. Originally meant to be a promise or oath of loyalty to the Republic of United States of America and an expression of patriotism, it has become a lightning rod of controversy, heated passions and lawsuits. The question is whether the Pledge of Allegiance with the words “under god” violates the protections of religious freedoms enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment? The phrase “under god” does not violate the freedom of religion found in the first amendment. This Clause dictates, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Pledge of Allegiance is one of the most common morning traditions throughout American public schools. The expression of loyalty was altered and modified four times during its existence to be muttered, yawned, or delivered by millions of students. The first composed version stated “ I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" (Robinson). The most current addition of the Pledge adds the phrase “under God,” implying “monotheism and control... God who interferes with events on earth guiding the U.S. in the direction that he wishes.” Requiring and promoting the Pledge with this new addition of words erupted criticism and legal disputes in the United States.…

    • 1397 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    While I agree with you that there are plenty of other issues going on in the world that needs to be addressed; however, I do think that this is one of those issues. I believe that this is a problem because it still stands for a country that no longer represents what those words have to say. Keeping those words in the Pledge of Allegiance only further promotes reasons for people to point out those that are different. I'm not religious at all and I have never been. I was forced as a child to go to church and I was forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day at school. It always made me feel uncomfortable to say under God because I never felt that it represented me and what I thought our country stood for. We can't keep saying…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some think that it was part of something far and unknown. No, actually it is and forever will be a big part in American history. Trying to remove it now is thoughtless, we shouldn't have to relearn to whole pledge because of some small percentage of who either don't believe in God or don't believe in "forcing" students to say it. Removing the words "under God" from the pledge, is going to hurt our belief in traditions. In the same article it says, " 'Most Americans have recited the pledge hundreds of times and are not inclined to memorize a different pledge', he says. 'Changing it may just feel wrong. Most Americans they believe in God or a higher being and feel comfortable having "under God" in the pledge.' " In other words barley anyone wants to learn a different pledge and the current one makes sense to the majority. Furthermore, our nation was built up on religious principles, shouldn't it stay that way? Why should we change it? Also, in an article called "Trump: 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance Is 'a Great Thing' it says, " 'Because that's what we are and that is what we will always be, and that is what our people want', he said." Trump says that we thought of ourselves as living under God, and we think the same way…

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The pledge of allegiance has remained an important part of the American legacy and culture. It takes part in the American school system, in American sports, and in many other areas. Many say that the pledge holds a place in their hearts, where it allows them to show their pride for their country. But in this pledge there are two words that have a tendency ring in the ears of many Americans, “under god.” In a country that is proud of the separation of church and state, we leave these words in a pledge that is said everyday by millions of Americans who believe and trust the right of separation of church of state yet we fail to do this for a major component in American culture. The words “under god” hold little meaning and should not be placed in the pledge of allegiance, they should be removed permanently.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    My choice of writing for the Rogerian essay is on the topic of the Pledge of Allegiance in School. “In a decision that stunned the nation, a federal appeals court in June ruled that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because the pledge contains the words "under God" “ (Chmielewski). The banning of the Pledge of Allegiance is a very large controversial topic because one side believes that while the foundation of our country is religion, the other side believes that the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance is an infringement on our First Amendment right. The Pledge of Allegiance began in 1892. It was a way of showing a sense of celebration for being an American. Since 1892…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The legal side of the pledge of allegiance, it has been brought up to the supreme court more then one separate occasion. “The state’s Supreme Judicial Court is currently weighing an atheist couple’s argument that the words “under God” be struck from the Pledge of Allegiance, because they claim the phrase is exclusionary to atheist children like theirs” (Let’s End the Pledge of Allegiance in Schools). Again, going back to the history, the original version of the pledge of allegiance had no stating of religion. When Francis Bellamy added “under God” into the pledge, what he didn't realize is that it was violating peoples freedom of religion and was to be used in public school systems across the country. It sparked a world wide debate that is…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pledge Of Allegiance

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In 1954, President Eisenhower and Congress added the phrase “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance. It has remained in our nation’s pledge for sixty-two years. However, some of our nation’s population believes that the words “under God” are a religious phrase and therefore violate the establishment clause of the first amendment. They think that “under God” is offensive and too straightforward and do not realize the history behind it. I strongly believe that the words “under God” should be kept in the Pledge of Allegiance.…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In actuality, the Pledge is empty prose that was originally intended to strike at “communism, atheism, materialism, and non-conformity”, and it was essentially created as a marketing ploy (Miller). The form of the Pledge used today was largely devised in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and Christian socialist, in the following form: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all” (Schaefer-Jacobs). The words “of the United States of America” were added after the United States saw a steady rise of immigration during the late 1880s and through WWI (Schaefer-Jacobs). “Today’s Pledge of Allegiance is a legacy of the push for ‘Americanization’” because native-born Americans feared immigrants were not adapting quickly enough…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The first reason some people claim the words should be removed is because of their belief that the words violet the constitution. The constitution says in the first amendment that you have the freedom of religion. If the U.S. tries to establish an official religion then it would violate the constitution.…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the main points of controversy about the pledge comes from two little words in the middle of the pledge. “Under God,” this little tidbit was added only relatively recently, in nineteen-fifty-four, as a way to separate the pious Americans from the godless Soviets. This change propagandized the pledge into a deliberate criticism of our rivals and their way of life. It is also argued that this phrase discriminates against students who don’t believe in one god or a God at all. While these claims do have merit, one key fact disrupts those arguments. Any and all parts and portions of the pledge are completely voluntary. If a student disagrees with that detail of the pledge they can remain silent without repercussions. As a firm believer in the separation of church and state myself, I do not say this phrase, and I have never experienced any consequences, positive or negative. “With liberty and justice for all;” for all meaning that the pledge is as much mine as it is yours and you should say whatever you are comfortable with.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Swearing Research Paper

    • 1805 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Recently, people have been taking oaths on things that have meaning to them rather than just swearing on something that they don't relate to. There have been instances for example, a muslim congressman who wanted to swear on the Qur'an and a Jewish man who wanted to swear on the Torah, which shows that swearing on something has become more than just religious or tradition. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, a congressman, made history in that he became the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress and the first to swear on the Qur’an rather than the bible (First Muslim Congressman to Swear Oath on Koran). The fact that these people are choosing to swear on another widely known and accepted religious text shows that people are becoming more religious. Since the nation is not and has not always been 100 percent Christian, there have been many non-Christians that swore on the Bible and did it because they wanted to abide by the law and respected it. The fact that these people chose to change it shows that people are standing up for their beliefs and their own religion as well as continue the tradition of the country and swear on a…

    • 1805 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays